Oscar Pistorius Guilty Of Murder

Oscar Pistorius is facing a minimum of
15 years in jail after his original
conviction of manslaughter for killing
Reeva Steenkamp was changed to
murder.
Pistorius will have to return to court
for re-sentencing after his earlier
conviction for the lesser crime of
culpable homicide – equivalent to
manslaughter – was thrown out on
appeal.

The six-time Paralympic gold
medallist had been under house
arrest at his uncle’s home in Pretoria
after serving less than a year in
prison for killing his girlfriend on
Valentine’s Day in 2013.
On Thursday morning, with Ms
Steenkamp’s mother June watching
on, Judge Eric Leach announced that
the state prosecutors’ appeal was
upheld, that the original ruling was
“flawed” – and that Pistorius was
guilty of murder.
Judge Leach was part of a panel of
five judges who ruled on the appeal.
“Guilty of murder, with the accused
having criminal intent,” judge Leach
told the court. “The matter is referred
back to the trial court to consider an
appropriate sentence.”
Pistorius said during his trial last
year that he mistook Steenkamp for
an intruder when he opened fire at
the locked door of his bedroom toilet.
However, that testimony was
rejected, as was the original trial
judge’s ruling.
“He (Pistorius) did not know whether
that person (behind the door)
constituted any threat,” said Leach.
“It is inconceivable that a rational
person thought he was entitled to fire
at this person with a heavy-duty
firearm. He must have foreseen that
the person behind the door might be
injured.
“He ought to have been convicted not
of culpable homicide on that count
but of culpable murder.”